How warm are down jackets

Ok this maybe a weird question but I am from an area where for maybe a few weeks a year you get to put a jumper (sweater) on. But I am heading to canada next year probably calgary or vancouver areas and am wondering about the warmth of down jackets. Will I be needing the warmest type 600+ fill or is a middle of the range fill ok for everyday use in the winter? If anyone could shed some light on the situation as I am concerned about freezing my butt off.Karlee

Ok this maybe a weird question but I am from an area where for maybe a few weeks a year you get to put a jumper (sweater) on. But I am heading to canada next year probably calgary or vancouver areas and am wondering about the warmth of down jackets. Will I be needing the warmest type 600+ fill or is a middle of the range fill ok for everyday use in the winter? If anyone could shed some light on the situation as I am concerned about freezing my butt off.Karlee

You probably won't need a down jacket in Vancouver but definately in Calgary during winter. I don't know about type of fill, but any quality brand of jacket, eg Northface etc will do

Don't buy the jacket in Australia. You should be able to survive the first day your trip wearing 2 t-shirts and 2-3 sweaters (plus maybe a large plastic trashbag to keep wind and snow out) over each other. Then go to a shop to buy a nice jacket in Canada. Should be cheaper and with a much larger range of jackets to choose from.

calgary would need a warmer jacket...temperatures can go pretty low sometimes. vancouver has sissy winter temperatures (excepting last winter, the excitement!), but it rains a lot..so you would need a (warm jacket, sure, that's ok) rainproof jacket - or one that dries quickly.

A little late to the party, but hopefully not too late to offer some decent advice.

Frankly, I wouldn't bother with a down-filled jacket. Instead I would go for a sky jacket with an interior fleece jacket and an outer water and wind shell (something like this: North Face example, though there are lots of good brands and you might be able to find cheaper, especially if it's later in the season). Under this, I would wear a sweater.

The problem with both Vancouver and Calgary is that they can be damp and/or cold one day and warm the next day (or, in fact, later that same day). The key thing I think is dressing in layers. That way, you can peel off layers as it gets warm. The worst thing is to be so hot that you start sweating, because when the sweat cools down, so does your body.

Unless you are planning on doing some serious outdoor at night camping, I don't think you need a down jacket. Even if you are hitting the slopes of Banff or Whistler, a ski jacket as I described above would be good enough for daytime skiing. At night, you are apres-skiing around a fire, and don't need a jacket at all!